Bruce took a reporter up for a ride recently. Here's the article that was published in the Chanhassen Villager today:
Screeching across the Chanhassen sky
By David Jansen
Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Bruce Olson is among the T6 Thunders, the group that flies its planes over Chanhassen to kick off July Fourth events. He cuts across the Eden Prairie sky Saturday practicing for the numerous events he will participate in. (Villager photo by David Jansen)
On a calm, sunny Saturday morning Bruce Olson fires up the engine of his silver, T6 airplane for a couple passes around Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie.
He said he regularly hops into the bullet-shaped plane to practice for upcoming Fourth of July events, including a 2:30 p.m. flyover in Chanhassen before the parade. This is the third year the Chanhassen Rotary has attracted Olson's group, the T6 Thunders, to the parade.
On one of Olson's passes over the small runway, he radios the tower, requesting to send out a trail of white smoke.
"Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em," the tower responds.
Withthat, a long trail of white smoke follows the flight path of the single-engine plane -- a common ornament of air shows. Olson takes one more pass, tips the wings and swoops in for a perfect landing.
An aviator since 1978, Olson said he's done most of his flying the past seven years as a T6 pilot, often logging 250 hours of flight time per year, compared to the 40 hours a year he used to fly. Every Wednesday, he said, the T6 Thunders get together at Flying Cloud Airport to run maneuvers and formation drills.
And once Olson begins talking about airplanes and flight, he can chatter nearly endlessly about flight maneuvers, aviation history or warplanes in general.
And the T6 itself has its place in aviation history. Designed during World War II, it was designated "the pilot-maker," because as Olson pointed out, the plane was used primarily as a training plane, but also because it was a difficult plane to maneuver.
In battle, the T6 was also known as the "mosquito" because "when you saw it, it would sting you," he said.
Now the planes are commonly seen in air shows around the country.
Olson said in addition to the Chanhassen flyover July 4, his group of 10 pilots will also appear for flyovers around the state in Rice Lake, Austin and Apple Valley. He said air shows, "are not a money-making thing … basically it's guys that love airplanes."
In Chanhassen, they are among the paid participants in the parade, according to Todd Hoffman, Chanhassen's director of park and recreation and a Rotary member. But he added the costs generally amount to the cost of fuel.
"When those planes fly over -- that's really something," he said with a boyish glint in his eyes.
And as for their continued future in Chanhassen, Rotary member Pete Pemrick, who originally brought the T6 Thunders to the city, said, "We're on their permanent calendar as long as we like it."
David Jansen can be reached at
djansen@swpub.com.
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Thanks Mike
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